A Little Kindness
by IronChainDragon
Summary: ...Goes a long way. After Wormmon dies, T.K. decides to reunite Ken with his partner, despite all the potential risks involved. This sets the foundation for something they both desperately need. A friendship based on mutual understanding.
1. A Touch of Kindness

Daichi: I can honestly imagine this happening. And it would change a lot.

Verity: Isn't this what Hazardous Hope, Kind Moon was meant to be?

Daichi: No, that was to even things out.

Tsukaimon: My partner really doesn't own anything.

21121212

He could honestly say he felt sorry for the former tyrant, that he understood. While he didn't know everything about what the other boy had gone through, he could still say that he felt sorry for him.

He almost stopped him. It was only the presence of the others that prevented him from following. Patamon knew it, he could tell. Not that he could ever not tell with Patamon. He always knew how his partner was feeling, so long as they were close enough to each other.

"T.K.? What are you thinking?"

"Patamon... I think, tonight, we should pay Elecmon a long overdue visit."

122112

Upon hearing about what had happened to the Digimon Emperor, Elecmon had been ecstatic and wished for a party. T.K. turned down the offer, instead requesting a single thing.

The Digimon had been surprised by the request, but complied willingly. The Child of Hope took the DigiEgg close to himself, like he had to the one containing his partner four years ago.

"Thanks, Elecmon."

Walking away, Patamon voiced a question. "T.K., are you sure this is a good idea?"

"Even if it's not, I have to do this. I can't not do this, not with..."

They both knew where this was headed, and fell silent. Neither of them felt inclined to bring that up, no matter how relevant it was.

12211221

He had no clue how he planned to get the Egg to Ken, so he decided to go the easy way. Closing the portal to his house, he instead opened one to a different computer that had been left on and unprotected. He took a small amount of time to wonder why a genius wouldn't even bother with a password on his Digiport, but figured it didn't matter. Peering through it, but not actually leaving the Digital World, he called out.

"Hey, Ken, you hear me?"

There was very little reaction, so T.K. repeated his call, and Ken turned to the screen.

"What are you...?"

"This is... Ken, do you know what happens to a Digimon when they die?" The look on his face was enough to say he didn't.

"One thing you were right about, the Digital World is just data, as is anything in it. Anything or anyone. The first thing someone learns about data is that it can't truly be erased. It's the same with Digimon, they simply revert to their DigiEgg state."

"Why are you telling me this?"

"Because... it doesn't matter. Either way, I believe this is yours." He sent the Egg through, saw it materialize on the desktop before being taken away.

"Wormmon... thank you."

T.K. closed the portal. Ken had changed, he could tell. And even if he hadn't, no one deserved so much pain.

"Come on, Patamon. Let's go home."

2112211221

The next day, Matt stopped by the apartment. He said he just wanted to make sure his brother was doing all right, after so long spent in the DigiWorld.

"I'm fine."

"Cody told me you stormed off in the base. That's unlike you. What happened?"

"It's nothing. At least, nothing you should be concerned about."

"T.K., I'm your brother, it's my job to worry."

"Well... it's really not a big deal."

"What about after defeating Ken? The others all said it looked like you wanted to go after him." He could tell Matt wouldn't let it go, so the best he could do was answer as plainly as possible.

"His partner died giving Magnamon the energy necessary to defeat Kimeramon." Matt stepped back, surprised by the answer he got.

"I see. It... it reminded you of that time, didn't it?" No one brought that time up anymore, not unless it was really necessary. T.K. grinned sheepishly.

"I may have paid Primary Village a little visit afterwords..."

"Little visit? We were up all night!" Patamon yawned, before flopping down.

"T.K., I hope you realize the risk you're taking with this. What you're doing could end up sabotaging everything the DigiDestined have been working for."

"I know. Look, Matt, don't say anything about this to anyone. This is personal business. If it goes wrong, I don't want anyone else tangled up in it. I can handle it myself."

"Alright. But I wouldn't do it for anyone else. I trust you. I hope you know what you're doing."

"Hey, hope is my job." Yes, he was taking a huge risk by reuniting Ken with Wormmon. But it had been something he had to do. He'd never have forgiven himself otherwise.

2121211212

Daichi: Unlike the others, this one is going to be more serious.

Verity: She doesn't mean it's going to be darker than the others, though. Tamers sets a hard record to beat, and I've read her plans for Adventures in the Past.


	2. A Ray of Hope

Daichi: I think this can work...

Verity: We don't own anything more than the last time we were asked.

12211221

His parents were curious about the egg that had suddenly appeared. All they knew was that the night Ken had reappeared, the egg came as well. But they didn't pry. And he was fine with that. All he could do was sit. Sit and wait for him to hatch.

But time passed, and the DigiEgg still didn't hatch. It was a full week later when they started worrying. There were no signs of life, despite it being in perfect condition.

In sadness, Ken thought back to all the times that Wormmon had been there for him, until he reached a blank space in his memory that hadn't been there before. Or, rather, he hadn't paid any attention to it. But he knew something was there, he could feel it. It was just out of his reach.

When he broke through to the memories, guilt immediately encompassed him. He'd promised his partner that he'd continue to be kind, and not a year later turned around and became the Digimon Emperor. Some friend he was.

"Wormmon... I'm sorry... Just please, please, come back. I'll be better this time, I really will." Unnoticed to him, the Crest of Kindness began to glow. There was a crack, and a small Digimon with a leaf on his head popped out.

"Ken...? Ken!"

He couldn't help it. He cried.

12211221

Leafmon settled rather nicely into life in the Real World. Ken's parents even treated him like a part of the family. The only real problem was the little issue of food. As is well known, young Digimon eat a lot. So, basically, they were running out of food.

It was a few days later when his parents left to buy more, if only because Leafmon had eaten it all. Ken and his partner were just sitting in front of the television when there was a knock at the door. Walking to it, he saw the DigiDestined who had given him the DigiEgg.

"Hey, Ken, I just thought I'd check up on you. See how you're handling it."

"It's fine. Why are you really here?"

"I just told you. I wanted to make sure you were all right."

Patamon shrugged. "Well, that and we had nothing better to do."

"Patamon!"

"What? I like Davis, but you know he can be a bit much." T.K. sighed.

Ken hadn't noticed when Leafmon arrived, only dimly recognized his presence. "Ken, what are they doing here?"

"I don't know, Leafmon."

Patamon flew down. "So... Leafmon, huh? Nice to see you again."

Ken watched them for a moment before turning back to T.K.. "Are any of the others here?"

The other boy shook his head. "They don't even know I'm here, or that I helped you last week. Yolei and Cody actually think you're beyond redemption."

"But you don't."

"When I first found out you were the Emperor, I did some research. 'Know thine enemy' and everything. We're actually not all that different. In fact, in several ways, we're the same."

"I bet you didn't try to take over the world."

"True, but when everything started going downhill for me, I was four. The area around my house was wrecked, my parents were going through a divorce... my brother's older than me, and he handled it... not quite as well."

Ken blinked. "Your brother? The one with the Gabumon?"

"That's him. I wasn't really there, but apparently he gave in to his loneliness, and it took Gabumon biting him to snap him out of it. Really, I'm not making this up." Ken supposed he hadn't done well hiding his surprise.

"But neither of you did anything too drastic."

"Are you sure about that? How's your face healing up?" Instinctively, his hand reached for a spot that had fallen victim to a particularly nasty right hook.

"Trust me, I've had worse... and it isn't like I didn't deserve it."

"True, but... I wasn't fighting then just because you were the Emperor."

"But why-?"

"I guess you could say I was trying to lay some old demons to rest."

21122112

When T.K. left a bit later, his parents came in. "Ken, who was that?"

"That was T.K.. I know him from something that happened while I was away."

"Is he a friend of yours?"

Remembering how he had shown genuine concern for him, the former tyrant couldn't help but smile.

"Not really. But... but maybe one day."

2121212112

Daichi: This takes place sometime before Veemon Digivolves, and the next one will take place afterwards.


	3. Swarm Tactics

Daichi: This one takes place right after Veemon Digivolves.

Verity: If we owned this, these two would have had a bonding moment long ago.

121212211121

It was a nice evening, certainly. A perfectly nice time to go for a walk.

At least, Minomon certainly seemed to think so, and Ken couldn't help but agree. A walk would be nice. And it would give him time to think.

The boy who had helped him before- T.K., he thought his name was- would occasionally come back to check up on him. It wasn't a bad thing, certainly, but Ken felt that the reason he was given wasn't the entire one.

He had asked that, just yesterday, actually, and the answer he got answered no questions.

 _"It's because you understand."_

But what? What did he understand, that nobody the other boy was actually friends with did? And why had he looked so sad when saying it?

He felt he didn't really want to know the answer to that question.

211212122112

When T.K. came the next day, he brought news of the Digital World. Cleanup was going well with the help of everyone involved, and the leader of the younger group- Davis, that was it- had reached the Champion Level naturally. By somehow managing to force it... and not Dark Digivolve. None of the involved parties had any clue how that had happened.

This was the first time in weeks that he had heard anything about the Digital World, and he had to stop himself from asking anything more. He didn't need to know how things were going. It was highly unlikely he'd ever be welcomed back.

Patamon and Minomon had wandered off somewhere, which was vaguely concerning. Still, they couldn't really leave with all of the doors and windows shut.

It was amazing how easy it was to confine someone who didn't have hands. As long as nothing potentially dangerous was left out, there was no issue at all with letting them run around freely.

2112121212

He wanted to go back to the Digital World, but T.K. suggesting it was still a surprise.

"I'm... not sure if I'd be welcome there." As much as he wanted to return, he had several reasons not to.

"Don't worry. I'll be there to calm things down, and we've got Patamon and Minomon."

"A Rookie and In-Training."

"Well, Patamon can Digivolve."

He still didn't know why he eventually agreed.

2112212121

They arrived in a small part of the Digital World that was uninhabited. The transition between worlds had somehow allowed Minomon to Digivolve to Wormmon.

"How does that happen?"

"I gave up trying to figure that out a long time ago." Something sounded off in the distance. "Did anyone hear that?"

Patamon nodded. "It doesn't sound good. We should get moving."

2121212121

They didn't expect to see the woman there. They had never seen her before, and certainly they'd know if anyone else visited the Digital World with much frequency. She was walking up to one of the remaining Control Spires, saying something that none of them could catch. She reached out to touch it, and that was when it all went wrong.

The Flymon let out a screech, before instantly locking on to their hiding spot. Ken had expected Patamon to do something about the situation.

He certainly didn't expect Wormmon's Digivolution.

2121212121

"I'm... slightly concerned by how that Control Spire turned into a Digimon."

"I didn't even know they could do that. This is certainly not how I'd want to find out, either." He held Wormmon closer to himself, allowed himself to relax now that the danger was past. "But I'm wondering why Wormmon Digivolved now of all times."

"Well, in my experience, it's had to do with danger. But before, you weren't really in danger from anything. You were mainly a danger to yourself. This actually could have turned out a lot worse." T.K. gestured to the spot on his head where Patamon had dozed off, careful not to wake the little Digimon. "The threat is gone, and everyone we know survived. That doesn't always happen, even with first-time Digivolutions."

A question came to mind, that he wasn't certain if he should have, but allowed himself to ask, anyway. "What was it like, the first time that Patamon Digivolved?"

The look on T.K.'s face immediately afterwards made him instantly regret it. "I'll just say this. Reaching a new form is always amazing, and being able to attain that power regularly is incredible. But getting that power... using it... There can be a cost to battle. It should have been wonderful, to achieve our first victory. But what happened... wasn't anything like I had imagined." Ken wondered what had happened, but realized that he wouldn't get any answers.

"Maybe... maybe we should go back to our world for now." His voice was shaking. He hadn't expected his return to go perfectly, but right then, all he wanted to do was go home and collapse. Righting his wrongs could wait for another day, ideally one when he knew what he was doing. Wormmon was too tired to continue, and he didn't want to disturb Patamon.

2121211221

"Patamon?"

"Yeah?"

"How do you think the others would react if I suggested asking him to join us?"

"It would probably blow up in our faces. Why?"

"Well, I don't think he has any friends besides us. And I want to help him, but... I don't know how. Not without dredging up memories that I'd rather forget."

"Why are you asking me this? Why not Matt?"

"Because I trust you. Matt doesn't know much about this, he only knows I visit."

"Why are we hiding this, anyway?"

"If they ask, I'll tell them. Actually, maybe that's how I can deal with him. I can just confirm what he already knows."

"If you say so."

1212221122121

Daichi: The biggest changes are yet to come. This is only the beginning.


	4. The Power of Suggestion

Daichi: T.K. knows about Control Spire Digimon earlier now, so there could be a few extra rifts in the team.

Verity: We don't really own this thing.

2121212121

He hadn't realized that there was danger until it was too late to do anything. He'd realized that Angemon wasn't an option at the moment, but not why. In hindsight, maybe taking down all of the towers when he could would have been a good idea. Still, he hadn't expected too much trouble that day and that may have had something to do with it.

The explosion clued him in on the fact that there was a hostile, but he figured that the others could handle it. The other... five.

"I didn't know he was planning on showing up today."

"That could be literally anyone else with a Digivice."

"In this area? This quickly? Everyone else is busy today. You know that." Either way, they decided to return to the others, just in case.

21212212121

Thunderballmon was not a common type of Digimon, not by a long shot. T.K. couldn't honestly say that he had seen one before, but he wasn't even certain if it was a real Digimon. After what had happened the day before, he couldn't say that he'd ever really be certain of that fact again.

Armadimon had Digivolved, that was a good sign. Still, he realized that, somewhere along the line, they had forgotten to tell the new kids something.

Davis, Yolei, and Cody had never battled a truly evil Digimon before. While having a good impression of the denizens of the Digital World was a good thing for a DigiDestined to have, they would end up putting themselves in danger before long. He certainly couldn't remember ever being like that.

Then again, his first day in the Digital World was basically getting constantly attacked by territorial Digimon, or those that were just aggressive. Digimon controlled by others had only been encountered after the ones that thought for themselves. From the beginning, he had dealt with the worst that the Digital World had to offer, and didn't exactly come out unscathed.

Thunderballmon had been knocked away, but as a Digimon that wasn't protecting territory or similar, it likely would not stop attacking until either it or the DigiDestined were dead. He couldn't intervene, either. There was a distance, and he couldn't close it in.

Stingmon could, though.

2112212121

"He... he killed it!"

"Yes, Cody, we know." This was what he had arrived to see. In hindsight, he should have seen this coming. "We all saw it."

"Why is he even back in the Digital World, though?" Davis asked. "Last I saw him, he could barely stand up."

"That doesn't matter! What matters is the fact that he just killed a Digimon!"

He wanted to spring to Ken's defense, but that would bring up several things he'd rather stay buried. Fortunately, Kari handled that without even being asked.

"That Thunderballmon wasn't being controlled by anything, was it?" She mused.

The conversation didn't continue.

211221212121

The next day, Davis brought up the idea of Ken joining the group. Yolei and Cody were firmly against it, on the basis that Ken had had Stingmon kill the Thunderballmon that had attacked them. Kari was on the fence about it. Hearing this, Davis seemed to give up.

"I think it's a good idea," T.K. stated.

"Why?"

"Didn't you see him yesterday? He killed somebody!"

"Devimon." The others looked at him in confusion. "Phantomon. More Vilemon than I can count. Piedmon." At the final name, Kari's eyes widened in realization.

"What are those names?" Yolei asked.

"Patamon's kill list."

"Patamon's... kill list? He's killed before?"

"There wasn't really a choice. Devimon would have killed me. Phantomon, most likely, given the chance, but he was collateral. The Vilemon were actively attempting it. Piedmon's continued existence was a threat to the entire Digital World."

"The whole world? But, he lived there, didn't he?"

"Do you know what Digimon is short for?" Gatomon asked. "Digital Monsters. Some of us... choose to live up to that name more fully. The Vilemon were among that group. And Piedmon... if it weren't for MagnaAngemon, none of us would be here today."

Cody shook his head. "There's no way a Digimon could be that bad."

"And a human could? There's something strange going on in the Digital World, and it's not just some kid this time."

"What makes you think that?" Yolei asked. "I mean, we haven't seen much going on, but it seems to be peaceful."

"File Island seemed peaceful, and half of it's inhabitants were being controlled by Black Gears to serve a powerful demon Digimon," Patamon pointed out.

Davis blinked a few times. "You have to tell us more of your old stories."

"Maybe once you can reliably get my name right."

122121122112211221

Daichi: As you can see, both T.K. and Ken have issues. Also, the new kids seem to have been somewhat locked out of the loop.


	5. A Discussion

BlackGatomon: Nothing owned here, move along.

2112212212121

After the second generation group had broken up their meeting, T.K. called a second one, with only the first eight in attendance. He'd actually considered not inviting Kari, but decided that it would be better to have her thoughts on the matter.

They would, of course, be meeting at his apartment, because he called the meeting and did not want any of the new kids to stumble across them if they met in, say, a public area. He'd rather not deal with drawn out explanations, and it seemed like there would already be at least one.

Mimi would be participating in the meeting via speakerphone, so they'd have her input as well. That was good.

"So, why did you call us here, anyway?" Tai asked, getting right to the point. T.K. sighed. It was now or never.

Never looked to be a pretty appealing option, actually, but he knew it would only make things worse. He couldn't tell the new kids about this, because it would dredge up too many memories. Here he could at least try and skirt around the topic. The others, for the most part, understood, and he was pretty sure that Kari was an empath, so she'd know to avoid it.

"Well… I… You got the report from that thing yesterday, right, Izzy?"

"The incident with the Thunderballmon? It's strange. I didn't think that wild Digimon would attack the ones who defeated the Digimon Emperor. Not so soon, anyway."

"It wasn't a Digimon." This got heads to turn. "Do you remember how the Control Spire disappeared just before the attack? There's somebody out there turning them into Digimon."

The others regarded him cautiously. "How do you know this?" Joe finally asked.

"I saw one being created, a while ago."

"And you never told anyone about it?" Matt sounded incredulous, and for good reason. "Why wouldn't you tell anyone about- ...you were with Ken, weren't you?" His voice held no surprise at this realization, and T.K. wondered if he had perhaps known about those meetings.

"Ken? You mean the Digimon Emperor?" Mimi asked, reminding everyone just how far out of the loop she was. He nodded, before remembering that she couldn't see him, and continued.

"We came to a sort of… understanding. And Matt, you said you wouldn't tell anyone." He tried pouting, but the kicked puppy look had stopped functioning for him long ago, and his older brother did not cave.

"Why?" That was the only thing Sora said. And, perhaps, the thing that was on most everyone's mind. Perhaps a diversion, but a related one, could help.

"Did anyone tell you about the dark whirlpool?" Everyone shook their heads.

"Cody said it was full of dark spirits, and that Ken got data for Kimeramon from there," Kari volunteered.

"Yes, well… being there brought up memories, is all. I got upset, and for some reason decided that beating up Ken would solve the problem. It didn't."

"Devimon's arms…" Izzy realized, and five others quickly came to the correct conclusion.

"Devimon? Who's that?" T.K. paused, not certain how to answer Gatomon.

"Old enemy. Our first, actually. But that's not the issue here. Continue." So many times, everyone had wondered why an idiot like Tai had become their leader. There were no longer any doubts.

"Right. Well… After the fight, there was a lot to deal with. The attack on the base on everything, and… who, besides Matt and Kari, knows how Kimeramon was defeated?" Nobody raised there hands. Mimi didn't speak up. Not that there would have been any reason for her to know.

"Magnamon, right?" Izzy ventured.

"He did deal the final blow, yes, but… it wasn't all his power. Wormmon… Ken's partner… gave him the energy he needed."

"But a Rookie Digimon doesn't have that much power to give, right? That's why they can Digivolve…" Joe seemed to realize what Izzy was getting at, and there was a gasp over the phone.

"There is a great bond that connects us to our Digimon. Who knows what someone cut off from that might do?" Izzy's input reminded him of something. He'd overlooked it before, but… it was about time that the delayed effects would kick in, right?

"I… I couldn't leave things like that. How could I?" He glanced at the slightly ajar door to his bedroom, where Patamon was asleep after a long day. Had it been time or Digivolution that triggered it? Or maybe his age? If it was the latter, maybe he didn't have to worry… of course he'd worry.

"He was devastated, when he was leaving," Kari remembered, and he was glad he didn't have to go any further. He didn't want to mention his other concern, either.

A faint nudge at the back of his mind. Suddenly, he realized just how tired he was. "I don't want the new kids learning anything about this, yet. It's good that they don't want to kill Digimon, but…" He wondered, not for the first time, why he hadn't called the meeting later, once he had actually rested. Still, it had helped him come to another decision, one that had definitely been necessary. "I think you deserve to know why you'll all get confused emails and phone calls tomorrow."

He wasn't going to answer the question of why. Not just yet.

21212121212121221

Ken shook his head, trying to remove the faint buzzing that he had heard ever since that first Control Spire incident. He had ignored it, thinking it nothing, but it had only grown louder, and he was forced to admit that there actually was something going on there.

It felt similar to when he was sick, after his first trip to the Digital World, but while that illness had been painful, this sensation was almost welcome.

Almost. He still didn't know what it was.

"Ken, are you okay?" Wormmon asked. He could tell that his partner was concerned, but didn't quite know what to say.

"I'm not sure. I'd say my head hurts, but…" But it wasn't pain, it was just strange.

"Is it one of those things where it feels like a Flymon is in the back of your brain and won't stop buzzing?" Those words weren't exactly how he would describe it, but it was pretty close. "Because I've been getting those a lot since we went back."

They were feeling the exact same thing, then. He wasn't sure if he should have been concerned. It wasn't like he could show up at a hospital and ask for a brain scan for himself and his digital caterpillar.

"Why can't you?"

"Because nobody would believe it, Wormmon." It took him a moment to realize what he had just said, and what he hadn't. But Wormmon had responded to it, anyway.

He wasn't, by any means, an expert on the Digital World, but he was pretty sure that that wasn't normal. He'd ask T.K. the next time he came to visit.

121212211221

Daichi: Basically, the explanation for T.K. and Patamon, and now Ken and Wormmon having a mental connection is their bonds overcompensating after being temporarily severed. It's meant to help, but… shortly after the next Digivolution to Champion is really not the most convenient time for them to kick in, because by that point, they don't need it as much.


	6. Mentality

Daichi: The plot here… well, it reaches a similar destination to canon, but the path it takes…

Verity: Does this have anything to do with the notes I found in the shredder?

BlackGatomon: I'm pretty sure that if they owned these things, she wouldn't shred a large portion of the original plot.

21212121211221

"So, there's no way to turn it off?" Ken asked.

"Not as far as I know. I couldn't exactly ask anyone else about it, either. They don't have it." T.K. scratched Patamon behind his ears. "But you can control it, somewhat." He hadn't told Ken why it was just them that had that connection. He enjoyed talking with him, but he didn't know if he was ready to bring up that topic yet.

If either of them were ready. Matt fussed over him, and Joe once recommended that he see a therapist, but it wasn't something he was comfortable talking about. Not that a therapist would ever believe him, anyway. "It's not even that difficult."

"How?" T.K. remembered how he and Patamon had learned to properly use it- lots of trial and error involved- and decided to start out with the easiest method that actually worked.

There hadn't actually been a need to develop other methods, they had just happened over the course of several cross-dimension telepathic conversations. With luck, one of them would work for Ken and Wormmon.

21211212121212

Little known to the DigiDestined in Japan, America had several DigiDestined living there. They didn't travel to the Digital World, mostly, instead dealing with hostile Digimon wandering through the boundaries. For a long time, each individual child learned and worked on their own, but that had recently changed, and they united under one banner. That of their leader, Mimi Tachikawa, who got the position on seniority, despite not having her partner currently with her. She did well enough, anyway, so nobody really minded.

There weren't any big threats, really, and it was always taken care of before they could draw the attention of the media, but that had changed. Soon after the defeat of the Digimon Emperor, a Digimon that had gone missing long ago reappeared, and it was dangerous. This one they couldn't kill, for more than just ethical reasons.

"Wendigomon's getting rather close!" Betamon ran up to the other Digimon and three humans. "If he finds us, he'll almost certainly follow us back to the city!" And there would go any hope of avoiding attention from anyone. Governments would find out, DigiDestined would be tracked down…

It wouldn't be fun for anyone. But they also couldn't hurt Wendigomon. Just when it seemed it couldn't get much worse, Mimi got an email.

 _ **Hey, did T.K. say anything to you about where he was going after school? Because we can't find him anywhere. Also, there's an open Digiport pretty close to you, so maybe we could meet up later or something?**_

An escape. If they got to the Digital World, Wendigomon couldn't hunt them down. They could even pick up Palmon while they were there.

"Guys, I have an idea."

12122112212121

Ken sighed, feeling the buzzing finally fade away. The first method that T.K. had suggested didn't work so well, and neither did the second, but after a few hours, they finally figured something out. It wasn't perfect, but it did work, and that was all he cared about at the moment.

"The link has a tendency to fade over large distances and when one or both of you are asleep, but it isn't going to go away or anything." He wondered just how long T.K. and Patamon had had their link, that they could have developed so many different ways to use it. He figured he'd just block it out unless he needed something.

After all, it wasn't like having the connection would ever be important or anything.

12121221121212

"Davis, Kari, Yolei, Cody, these are Willis and Terriermon. Willis, Terriermon, these are some of the DigiDestined from Japan."

"It's nice to meet you," Davis said, and Kari just hoped that he wouldn't do anything too stupid. While Tai had proven time and time again that he deserved to be leader… Davis hadn't. The most he had going for him was that they hadn't died. Given how he acted in daily life, truly a stunning achievement.

"Didn't your group have another member?" Michael asked. "I seem to recall somebody with a Patamon."

"Nobody's seen T.K. since school got out," Kari explained. "He's been disappearing a lot, lately." With what he'd told everyone at the meeting, she had an idea of where he might have been, and so did Mimi, but they couldn't say anything about it.

Not only had T.K. asked them to keep it from the new kids, but none of them knew how they would react to getting that sort of information secondhand. Davis would probably be fine, but Yolei and Cody were both rather opinionated, and they'd rather not divide the group with arguments. They could do that just fine themselves. They didn't need those older than them to help.

"I'm surprised you responded so quickly," Yolei remarked. "You must have really wanted to come see the Digital World."

"Yeah," Willis said, avoiding looking at any of them. "We have… reasons."

"First of which is finding Palmon. Do any of you know where she could be?" Mimi was worried about something, but Kari couldn't tell what.

"I seem to recall her saying something about the nearby river," Hawkmon suggested.

"The one with the dam and Control Spire?" Davis asked.

"That's the one." So they went in that direction.

They found a badly injured Palmon and a Golemon trying to destroy the dam.

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 _ **Hey, T.K., you're with Ken, right? Because there's a situation going on right now with what I think is a Control Spire Golemon, but I'm not entirely sure. The others don't want to kill it, because while I'm not sure, they think it's real, and I can't say anything because Mimi's American friends are here, and I don't want them to see us squabbling. Please help.**_

 _ **We'll be there in five minutes. Try to keep everything under control until then.**_

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Daichi: T.K. isn't the only one who hasn't told the others everything. Mimi's been leader of the American DigiDestined for the past three months and never told anybody. And because I'm not sure where exactly it goes on the timeline, Willis' movie hasn't happened. Fortunately for him, Mimi picked him up, and they've been… dealing with the situation… ever since.


	7. Broken

Daichi: This is the part that will strain the team the most, if not outright break it. And in front of their visitors from America, too.

Verity: She doesn't own this.

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T.K. hadn't exactly thought this one through all the way. He had told Kari that he and Ken would go to help them deal with the Golemon, but that left one little detail that he hadn't noticed at the time.

He would have to show up to the battle with Ken. That meant that he couldn't avoid certain explanations any longer, although he might have been able to maneuver around the more sensitive parts of it. But he wasn't sure about how the others would most likely react.

Kari and Mimi would already know, and wouldn't be too shocked about it. Mimi's friends were a definite wild card there, depending on what Mimi had told them. Davis, hopefully, would still be open to the idea.

It was Yolei and Cody that T.K. was really worried about. Their vehement denials whenever anyone brought up the subject of Ken joining the group certainly showed, as well as anything, how they felt about their former enemy. And he would be walking up to them and admitting that he had befriended said enemy.

This was going to be a long day. He could tell.

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Upon arrival in the Digital World, T.K. quickly activated his Digi-Egg of Hope, allowing Pegasusmon to take the field. They had a lot of ground to cover. He knew that area had a village downstream of the dam, and he didn't want to see what would happen if it flooded.

"We need to hurry," he stated, gesturing for Ken to join him. Ken hesitated for a moment, unsure.

"You said your friends didn't know."

"They'd find out eventually. It's probably better to get it out of the way now. Kari's been on the fence, but it looks like she'll agree, and once we get a majority, Davis will give you an invitation. I can't hide it then." A momentary pause, and Ken joined T.K. on Pegasusmon.

"Wormmon, if you Digivolve, can you keep up with us?"

"Of course!"

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When had it all gone wrong? Cody had only wanted to see some DigiDestined from another country, maybe learn a bit about just why there were DigiDestined in America, and then this had to happen. The Golemon wouldn't be stopped, and he couldn't do anything about it. Ankylomon was too big, Digmon's attacks would most likely break the dam, and Submarimon wouldn't be able to get anywhere near there.

Seadramon couldn't do anything, either, although Willis' Gargomon was more than willing to help, and without Pegasusmon, Nefertimon couldn't restrain it. There was nothing they could do, short of Flamedramon, Gargomon, or the newly Digivolved Aquilamon killing it, and that was not an option. It would never be an option.

Kari had sent for T.K., so they at least had that one small shard of hope… literally, in this case. Pegasusmon and Nefertimon could drag the Golemon off of the dam, and they could sort everything out from there, right?

Oh, how wrong he was.

It started going even farther downhill when T.K. arrived. Not the dam, that was fine. Pegasusmon landed, as did the Digimon beside him. One they all recognized, just as much as the second boy dismounting from T.K.'s Digimon.

Why? Why would T.K. associate himself with Ken Ichijouji, Digimon Emperor? Cody just stared, unable to reconcile what he knew with what he saw.

T.K. turned to Ken. "So, should Stingmon or Pegasusmon take this one?"

"Stingmon got the last one, so it's only fair. We should probably soften it up for you, though. You look like you're about to fall over." The last one… what did he mean by that? What was going on? Why were T.K. and Ken working together?

He didn't know what was going on anymore.

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"I guess it's our turn, then," T.K. gave a small smile, but this wasn't one of his normal, hopeful ones. This was one of the smiles he'd force, to convince others that everything was fine. He felt they could all use a bit of convincing. Even himself. He was unsure for how long his partner could maintain a Digivolved form.

Digivolving had always increased the sensitivity of their bond, increased the distance and decreased the effectiveness of mental barriers. And he could tell that Pegasusmon was exhausted, through no fault of his own. T.K. had been the one to open the gate a bit farther away than he had to, had exhausted himself to the point that even Armor was a stretch to maintain.

They were both tired, so they had to end it quickly. Pegasusmon understood, and the results were immediate, his moving in as soon as Stingmon had retreated. It wasn't even the attack that had destroyed it, but its collision with the ground that had ensured its demise.

Brutal, but an effective tactic, when one hadn't the mental capabilities to waste on a long lasting Digivolution. He breathed out, and released his hold on his power, standing still as Patamon returned to his normal position.

None of the others had said anything in this time. Even Kari and Mimi, who had known of this beforehand, seemed to have been stunned by what had just happened. The other Digimon returned to their Rookie states as well, but most likely for a better reason than mental strain.

The boy he didn't recognize found his voice first. "Mimi said that your group mostly tried to avoid killing."

"Why?" Cody asked, and T.K. could see the same question on everyone else's faces. He was sure that, if he turned to Ken, he would see the same thing, because no matter what he told him, there was only one way for him to fully understand, and he still couldn't bear to bring up those memories.

"There's a village, just downstream. Did you know that?"

"Don't try to change the subject." Yolei's voice was cold, and a similar feeling began to grow in his chest. "Why are you with Ken? Why did you kill that Digimon? Just… why?" What could he say but the truth? He almost wanted to laugh at the situation, but he just couldn't find anything funny about it.

"I… I can't really answer the first question. You wouldn't understand." Wouldn't understand what it is to have a piece of you ripped away, and he wouldn't want them to. "But, the second question… the village. That Golemon wouldn't have stopped, and eventually, the dam would have broken. So many lives, gone in an instant." Wasn't that the point of a DigiDestined? To prevent such tragedies from occurring?

"So you killed the Golemon before he could drown anybody." Michael nodded, seemingly taking in more of the conversation than the rest of them.

"Well, whatever you were thinking, it worked," Davis admitted. In a flash, Cody turned on him.

"How can you say that? You saw-" It was breaking. The team was on the verge of collapse and Mimi and Kari weren't saying anything. Perhaps they didn't have anything to say, or, at least, nothing that would help.

"Cody. Think about this." He'd never had to think about it before. He'd never had a need to justify these actions, and even when he had a reason… there was so much he could have said, should have said, so many possibilities. "Which is worse? Deleting one evil Digimon… or letting that Digimon live, and allow hundreds of good Digimon to be slaughtered? A death you directly cause… or hundreds, because you weren't willing to take action?"

He'd thought on it, before. How, if he'd had prior notice, he would have seen if he could convince the other Digimon to lend power to Magnamon as well, to keep Wormmon alive. If he'd been able to call Patamon, he'd have tried to save Pumpkinmon and Gotsumon.

...If anyone had had the power, he would have begged for them to fight Devimon, so that Angemon wouldn't have had to die.

He was so tired. He didn't have the energy to say anything more, to even try to get them to listen. He turned to leave. "Ken, can you get home by yourself?" Ken nodded, and T.K. started moving. There would be repercussions for this, he knew. But he had twisted his mind into knots the whole day, and he needed rest.

He wasn't entirely sure where, but he was almost certain he'd messed up somewhere.

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Daichi: I'll be entirely honest, I'm pretty sure he needs therapy. Scratch that, everyone definitely needs therapy.

Tsukaimon: In other news, she published a story to go along with this one, featuring Mimi's rise to glory as leader of the American DigiDestined. A bit less serious than this, given that the majority of the kids aren't so traumatized.


	8. Two Conversations

Daichi: Now, I'm not saying that this can't be fixed, but…

Verity: You broke the team. The one thing you tried to avoid doing at all costs. At least you have a way to fix it.

Vee-Vee: We don't own this stuff.

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Cody couldn't focus. The events of the previous day had taken their toll, especially on his conviction. He didn't know what was going on, Mimi, who he'd only met twice before seemed to know more than he did, and T.K…. The less said about T.K., the better.

That morning, he and Yolei had more or less unofficially kicked T.K. off of the team, although they didn't explicitly say so to anyone. T.K. had just seemed to notice and accepted it.

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 **-What happened?**

 **-...I think I got kicked off of the team. Yolei and Cody don't seem to want me around anymore, so I'll keep my distance for a bit. I'm not sure if Davis has picked up on it, though. Kari probably has, but she hasn't said anything. It's only been a day, though, so they may notice soon enough.**

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Naturally, being unfocused during a kendo lesson has it's natural outcomes. Namely, utterly failing at what he had come there to learn.

"Cody, what is the matter?" His grandfather asked. "You seem rather… distracted today."

"It's nothing, Grandpa. It's just… I've had a lot to think about, lately. I'm not sure what to think anymore."

"Oh?"

"It's a… moral concern."

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 **-This is because you brought me to the fight, isn't it? Having me around cost you your friends.**

 **-Look, if they don't want me on the team anymore, that is their decision. You didn't tell them to kick me out. Officially, I'm not even out. I just… can't talk to Yolei and Cody anymore without death glares, so I'm keeping my distance.**

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"Recently, one of my friends did something I didn't agree with." He couldn't tell the whole truth, not the way things currently were. "What he said… I don't understand it."

"What did he say?"

"He asked me… if it was worse to kill a person that you know will kill many others, or stand by and let the others die."

"Action versus inaction, then? Cody, your friend has brought up a question that I don't think anyone has a right answer to."

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 **-That isn't the point. You're just assuming that they'll warm up to you again.**

 **-Well, they'd have to deal with Davis and Kari if they hoped to officially kick me out. And given how Kari's been acting recently, I'd say we'd finally have a majority, if they were to accept me back.**

 **-A majority for what?**

 **-To invite you to join the team.**

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"But how can there not be a right answer?" Cody remembered how, after the incident with Thunderballmon, T.K. had listed several Digimon that he'd claimed had been killed by Patamon, or his Digivolutions. He hadn't been able to really believe it at the time, but now he could see it all too clearly.

"Cody, sometimes you need to decide what is right for yourself. Those on the side on inaction claim that nobody truly knows what will happen in the future, while those on the side of action refuse to take risks that could come back to haunt them later. Say, for example, I may choose to drink the last prune juice right now to make sure nobody else takes it, or leave it because I don't know if anybody would."

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 **-A majority? You really think that?**

 **-Kari and the others, the first ones, I mean, know about Control Spire Digimon. They haven't told the others, though.**

 **I wasn't sure if letting them know the difference would have helped or hurt them, in the end. These things happen, after all.**

 **-Wormmon says you may not have made the best choice. I'm inclined to agree with him.**

 **-I know that now. But if they can't bring themselves to hurt living Digimon, that could come back to haunt us one day. I certainly never got that choice, so why should they?**

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"What side are you on, grandpa?"

His grandfather simply laughed, shaking his head. "Cody, this isn't something that should be influenced by somebody else. If a choice isn't clearly cut, then it is a choice that you have to make."

But which was the right one? How could there not be a right answer? Despite how much he kept trying to think about it, Cody simply couldn't come to a conclusion.

"But I don't know what choice to make."

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 **-Do you want me to point out the obvious reason?**

 **-It was a rhetorical question. The thing is, they'll have to fight back eventually. That lady is bad news, and I'm pretty sure she's not human. Gennai isn't, after all.**

 **-Who's Gennai?**

 **-Only a guy who tries to give helpful advice, dips into comedy too often to be taken seriously, and has been overtly vague on several occasions.**

 **He has given us actual help, though. Mostly by mailing stuff to Izzy. Haven't seen him in years, of course. I have no idea what he's gotten up to. I know where he lives, but it's at the bottom of a lake and you can't go to it without his permission, so contacting him is out.**

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"You're still young yet. You'll have plenty of time to figure it out." But he didn't. And there was no way to explain that. Not without revealing everything, and he didn't think anyone would believe him, even if he were to introduce them to Upamon.

Other realities? Way too farfetched.

Well, maybe some people would listen. But certainly not that would know how to answer his questions.

Cody contemplated actually asking T.K. about his choices, but quickly discarded the thought. If nobody could be allowed to influence this decision, then he couldn't trust anyone to point him in the right direction.

He couldn't remember a time when his grandfather's advice, that he had asked for, had confused him so much more than he had been already.

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 **-T.K…. are we friends?**

 **-Of course we are. I don't know why you'd think otherwise.**

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Daichi: This is why a large bit of the plot was thrown out. The Jogress/DNA plots simply cannot happen with how the characters are now. Ken already has a friend in T.K., and T.K. has put a larger rift between himself and Cody. It would be a bit strange if it was just Kari and Yolei who could do it, when neither of them is the main character. Omnimon, however, is still a thing.


	9. Realizations and the Solution

Daichi: Now, back to the plot… and working on fixing the team. I think I've actually found something that duct tape can't fix.

Verity: I can't believe you actually took advice from a Calumon.

BlackGatomon: We don't own anything.

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"I didn't know Minotarumon lived around here," Armadimon remarked.

"They don't," Gatomon replied.

"Am I the only one concerned with how it's attacking the bridge we just rebuilt?" Davis asked.

"I think Nefertimon can handle it," Kari stated. "We should probably get down there quickly, though."

Veemon cast a forlorn look at his lunch before following the others down.

"We'll be coming back for it, you know," Hawkmon pointed out.

"I know…"

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"Is… is that supposed to happen?" Yolei was pretty sure that parts of a Digimon's body were not supposed to flake off like that.

"I don't think it's Nefertimon," Kari mused. "I think it's the Minotarumon. It's not-" She paused for a moment, pursing her lips as though unsure.

"It's not what?" Davis asked.

"It's not…" She took a deep breath, and Yolei wondered just how long she hadn't been telling them things. "It's not a real Digimon. It's a Control Spire taken Digimon shape."

"Wait, how do you know?"

"...T.K. told me. The Thunderballmon and the Golemon were also Control Spire Digimon."

"Why didn't he tell us?" Cody pointed out, and Yolei had to agree. If they'd known it wasn't real, they would have been able to fight long before T.K. and Ken came into the picture.

"...Because he wanted you to fight them like they were real Digimon. So you didn't end up in over your head because you couldn't bring yourself to end a life."

Yolei had to admit that it made a lot of sense. Still, the thought that maybe T.K. didn't trust her was stronger. She didn't even know which feeling was more worth listening to, so she decided to reserve judgement, if only for the moment.

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 **-Um… I know you and the others aren't on the best of terms, but… could you and Ken get over here? Like, now?**

 **-What do you want, Davis?**

 **-You know Ken's base? Well, without Ken's Crest of Kindness there… it's sort of set to explode. We need it here, if just for a bit. Also, we're being attacked by an Okuwamon, and we need help, since none of us can currently reach the Ultimate Level and there's only four of us.**

T.K. glanced at the screen, thinking. On a realization, he delved into a special part of his mind- to the connection that he shared with Patamon. Despite his expectations, there it was, not quite as brilliant as it had been before, but still there. His Crest of Hope.

 **-Tell Kari to try Digivolving Gatomon into Angewomon. Give it an honest try. I'll see what I can do about the Crest.**

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Digivolve Gatomon into Angewomon? Kari, for a moment, wondered if T.K. was just trying to put everyone's thoughts off of what would happen when they joined up again, and the fact that Ken would likely be with him, for not wanting to risk losing his Crest. She couldn't do that.

Right?

Well, there was that one time in that Dark Ocean, wasn't there? She remembered that. Perhaps it hadn't been a one-off thing after all. It couldn't hurt to try, at any rate, what with how ExVeemon and Ankylomon were being smacked around.

She focused, really concentrated, trying to find that spark of Light she had called upon so many times. There it was, just as brilliant as ever.

Angewomon took the field.

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T.K. and Ken, along with Pegasusmon and Stingmon, took a bit longer to get there than they may have liked, what with having to explain to Ken's parents the state of emergency, and why inadvertently blowing up half of the Digital World would be a bad thing, even if the areas were mostly desert anyway.

When they arrived, Angewomon was putting up a decent fight against the Okuwamon, although the fact that it was large and tough enough to take direct hits from her put her at a bit of a disadvantage. T.K. wished he could send help, but even if Pegasusmon had not tired himself out getting there, Angemon had shown himself not very effective against Control Spire Digimon due to the sheer amount of darkness concentrated there, and MagnaAngemon was… less than practical for numerous reasons.

Least of which being that he wasn't sure if he could get him to Digivolve that far at the moment, anyway. He just hadn't had that much to be hopeful about recently.

Still, while Okuwamon was certainly a threat, it was definitely not the highest priority. No, the highest priority was keeping everything from exploding.

"Ken? Are you okay?" Said ex-conqueror was trying very hard not to look directly at anybody. "You didn't drop your Crest… did you?"

"This is… my fault, isn't it?" And this was happening again. Not for the first time, T.K. really wished there was a therapist in on the secret, but of course Tai had told them to not draw attention to themselves.

"You didn't set the base to explode, did you?" He shook his head. "Then it's not your fault. Don't blame yourself for things you had no way of knowing would happen." A small nagging feeling told him that maybe he should start doing the same. He chose to ignore it for the moment.

"But-"

"The best way to make up for your mistakes is to try harder. There are people counting on us, Ken. Do you want to let them down?"

Ken paused for a moment, possibly to mull over his words. "I… I promised, didn't I? That I'd try harder? I guess this is as good a time as any to start." And then there was a soft glow from his pocket, and from Stingmon.

JewelBeemon went to help Angewomon as the kids rushed into the base.

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Verity: Why JewelBeemon, again?

Daichi: Because I'm already throwing canon out the window on this, and I don't particularly like DinoBeemon. And the Crests are basically… freeing the Sovereigns, instead of removing their powers… deactivated them. Kari and Ken are currently the only ones with active Crests.


	10. Deconstruction

Daichi: Everything's beginning to fall into place again, but… It'll be a while for things to settle into 'normal'.

Verity: We own nothing here.

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Ken's head hurt. There was noise and he was moving, and someone, possibly T.K.'s other friends, were saying something, but he just couldn't concentrate.

"Ken." One of the voices was clearer now, and he could tell that it was T.K. speaking to him. "Ken, you're right here. You aren't out there, that's JewelBeemon. Focus." He tried pulling his mind together the way he'd been taught to, separating his thoughts from those of his partner. Eventually, the tumult lessened, and he could breathe more easily.

"Yeah, it's kind of overwhelming the first time, isn't it?" T.K. asked. "It gets easier, though. The next time won't be nearly as difficult." Ken was unconvinced. The confusion and power that pulled them together had been harder to loosen than he could ever have imagined. "Trust me, we need you to be here as much as possible."

It wasn't just the strength of the link though. All of the negativity surrounding them made it easier for him to retreat into the comforting warmth of JewelBeemon's mind, where he wouldn't have to deal with it.

Of course, refusing to deal with his problems was part of the reason he was in that mess to begin with, wasn't it?

"I'm fine. Let's keep going."

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When the Crest of Kindness was placed back where it had been before, the oppressive feeling vanished, for the most part.

"So," Davis started, "Is this dealt with, or do we have to come back later and do it again? Because I'd really rather not."

"Maybe we should take this place apart, just to be safe," Yolei suggested. "I mean, it can't blow up if it's been dismantled, right?"

"How should we take it apart, though?" Cody asked. "It seems too big a job for just us and our Digimon to do."

"Maybe we could get the others to help," Kari tried. "I mean, they can't all be busy. Izzy only discovered this place was set to explode because he had time to check. And even if they are, it can't hurt to ask."

"Well, not us, anyway," Hawkmon muttered.

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"So, I've been wondering something," Yolei brought up while they waited for Izzy and Joe to arrive to help dismantle the place. "Why didn't you tell us about the Control Spire Digimon? If we'd known, we could have helped."

"That was the point," T.K. said. "You only would have helped if the Digimon weren't 'real'. And that's not something I want to encourage."

"Why not?" Cody asked. "Don't you have any respect for life?"

"Not when it's trying to end mine, or anyone else I care about." Okay, maybe that was a bit harsh, but at this point he didn't care as much anymore.

It wasn't that he didn't sympathize with them. He did, remembering when he'd used to hate fighting. But that had been a long time ago, closer to six years than four, chronologically speaking. Even now, he didn't particularly like it He just felt that he had to.

"But, you still-"

"I never said you had to like it. It's just something that has to be done. It was that way four years ago, and it's going to be that way now, once all the dust has settled from this most recent disaster." He would have shaken his head, if it weren't for the fact that Patamon was resting on it at the moment.

The conversation ended there, partly because nobody particularly wanted to continue a week-long argument, and partly because Izzy, Joe, and their Digimon had finally arrived.

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Looking back on it, they didn't have nearly enough Digimon for the task. JewelBeemon knew what he was doing, certainly, and Angewomon could be trusted to follow his lead. However, ExVeemon was led by his partner, Digmon had to be careful not to tunnel directly into any important systems so he didn't get electrocuted, Kabuterimon wasn't meant for lifting heavy objects, and Ikkakumon just wasn't built for desert work whatsoever.

Still, despite the fact that it would be a long job, well, somebody had to do it. Pegasusmon couldn't do much, but neither could Angemon, and T.K. felt that activating a Digi-Egg was more likely to work than summoning his hope, at least in this instance. And, honestly, having someone who could actually do heavy lifting was important, and he was more than willing to do it.

While the Digimon did a lot of the work, reasons being that they actually could do it, T.K., Kari, and Ken were speaking with Joe and Izzy about how JewelBeemon and Angewomon had made their appearance.

"It's strange, though," Izzy remarked. "The two of us can't bring out our Ultimate Digimon- and trust me, we checked." This bit was pointed at T.K., who had brought out the suggestion of the Ultimate Level in the first place, as though he knew something they didn't. Fair enough, given that he did. "But Angewomon's right there. T.K., can you Digivolve Patamon into MagnaAngemon?"

T.K. shook his head. He knew his Crest was there, but it just didn't have the radiance that it used to. "I'm not sure if it isn't because of the circumstances, though. Hope is… hope's been hard, recently." He didn't go into detail, and nobody asked him to. They all knew at least some of what was going on.

Not anywhere near enough, but, well, it was a start.

"We should probably tell Mimi about this," Joe commented. "I mean, if one of us can Digivolve our partners again… well, I've kinda missed Zudomon, and you said she has Palmon with her."

"Assuming she hasn't sent her back in the past week or so," Kari confirmed. "But I didn't even realize Gatomon could Digivolve until she did it."

"It was the same with JewelBeemon," Ken admitted. "I'm not sure how or why it happened, it just did."

Still, mysteries aside, at least the day hadn't ended too horribly. And T.K. noted that, despite what Yolei and Cody seemed to think, at least Ken was being accepted by the others, although an actual welcome might have to wait.

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Daichi: This one was kind of awkward, I admit it. But at least it's setting up for the next bit.


	11. Direct Aftermath

Daichi: I don't own anything here.

Verity: It's surprising to hear that coming from you directly. Does that mean you don't need us anymore, or-

Daichi: It means the Digimon have locked themselves in the broom closet, and I don't have anything to bribe you with.

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Now that the immediate crisis had been averted, it was time to deal with the implications that the day's events had brought up. Specifically, the fact that the Ultimate Digimon weren't lost forever, could be reached again. And, of course, everyone reacting to that information in the one way they knew how.

"Biyomon's pretty close, so she'll be here soon," Tentomon stated. "Agumon and Gabumon are a bit farther away, but I'm sure they'll get here before it's dark out." Not that T.K. paid any attention to this. The other partner Digimon returning to the Real World was something of note, but it didn't concern him as much.

He was more concerned about his Crest, that he could feel it, but not activate it. Izzy and Joe couldn't even feel theirs, while Kari could, and had brought out Angewomon twice, now. But he could feel the Crest of Hope, despite its powers currently being beyond his reach.

He'd have thought it something to do with his bond with Patamon, but Ken hadn't realized he could use the Crest of Kindness, hadn't felt it, despite the mental exercises he had gone through. So it was something about him in particular, then.

But that didn't matter right now. What mattered was keeping Patamon from starting a flying competition with Biyomon, Tentomon, and Hawkmon, because they didn't have all day.

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This time, the walk home wasn't quite as bad as it had been the past week. T.K., Yolei, and Cody walked together, along with their Digimon, and made awkward conversation. They didn't talk about anything that had happened less than a week before, and it was an uneasy peace, but it was better.

Well, at least, that was how it had started. Of course, it couldn't be that easy. Over time, Cody withdrew himself from the conversation, or at least T.K.'s part in it, although Yolei didn't seem to notice. Maybe. Or she did and just didn't care. It could be either one, really.

At least they were talking to him again. That was a noticeable improvement over how things had been before. Not much of one, but it was there. Of course, the tension was still so thick you could cut it with a knife, but the three of them were more or less on speaking terms again.

But then Cody made the mistake of bringing up the fact that Yolei had had a crush on Ken earlier in year, and they fell into silence.

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T.K. didn't see why they had to have a big meeting to impress upon the new kids the importance of their Digimon's Ultimate forms, but he didn't have the Crest or DigiEgg of Courage, so executive decisions did not fall to him. Nor would he ever want them to. He didn't really trust himself with everyone's lives.

Which was why he was crammed into Izzy's room with nine other people and their Digimon. It was a rather tight fit, and he wondered why they couldn't just go somewhere else. Of course, he didn't know which of Izzy's setups were on which computers, so maybe there was a reason. Didn't mean he particularly liked the arrangement, though.

"Ultimate Level… Angewomon really is something," Yolei commented. Kari shrugged.

"I guess? JewelBeemon was a bit more impressive, if only because he's new." Which was true. New Digivolutions always seemed impressive. Especially Ultimate Level.

The fact that it meant the human member of the pair had likely resolved some personal issues helped with that, he supposed. Which probably explained why MagnaAngemon wasn't an option. He simply had too many personal problems getting in the way of his hope.

It was as good as any other explanation, anyway.

"Yeah, I guess he was pretty cool…" Yolei didn't seem to want to praise Ken's Digimon quite yet, not that anybody would expect her to. Mostly because none of them quite knew what to think about everything that was going on anymore. T.K. was at the middle of it, and he still wasn't entirely sure.

"Yes, that's part of the reason we're here. To try and get more of them, including the wonderful MegaKabuterimon!" Tentomon buzzed. Fortunately, this did not set off an argument over who had the best Ultimate form, or they'd be there the whole day.

He was still sure that MagnaAngemon would be acknowledged as such if it came down to it, though.

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Ken turned the Crest of Kindness over in his hand, still not entirely certain how the events of the day previous had happened. It hadn't started out well, but he had figured a few things out, and then… JewelBeemon had happened. There really wasn't anything he was sure of beyond that.

He knew he could repeat it, of course. Minomon had become Wormmon again after a good meal and some sleep, so energy cost wouldn't be an issue. But he still had problems believing that he deserved his Crest, let alone the ability to activate it.

T.K. hadn't contacted him since, but he counted that as a good thing. It meant he was getting along with his teammates again, after all. Even if it meant Ken got left behind.

"You know, I don't think he'd do that," Wormmon remarked, and Ken realized that he'd been letting his thoughts bleed through again. It wasn't quite as difficult as it used to be- downright easy, compared to when his partner was JewelBeemon- but he still slipped up at times.

A notification appeared on the open D-Terminal lying on his desk, signalling that he had a new message to check. Well. T.K. had told him to expect an invitation to join the main group at some point.

He had expected it to be the younger leader, and not the older one, to send the invitation, but it all amounted to basically the same thing, didn't it? They'd all be working together in the future, even if it was the younger ones with the most free time. And when it was a majority vote by all of the other DigiDestined in Japan, he really didn't have room to decline.

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Daichi: Not to say that him situating himself into the group will be easy or anything. But he is officially a part of it, so there's something.


End file.
